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In-Depth Reviews And Recommendations - Without The BS

Fluent Forever App Review – Lots Of Potential But Not There Yet

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Quick Review
Summary: The Fluent Forever mobile app is a language learning program currently available in eight languages. The approach it takes is based on the methodology described by Gabrial Wyner in his book, Fluent Forever. It uses flashcards and a spaced repetition algorithm to help the learner create meaningful connections with the language and commit language items to long-term memory.

It’s best for people who are able to dedicate ample time and supplementary resources to learning a new language.

Quality
I noticed some spelling errors in the language I was learning. The activities aren’t super intuitive.
Thoroughness
Pronunciation is explained very well, but I was hoping for some grammar explanations as well. Some features are still in development.
Value
The price is reasonable, and the time spent using the app is productive.
I Like
Creating my own flashcards was usually easy, fun and memorable.

The pronunciation activities were enlightening and practical.

Using the same sentence to learn multiple words got me speaking longer sentences quickly.

I Don’t Like
I wanted to have more control over what I practiced and when.

Creating flashcards was sometimes time-consuming and difficult.

There are no explanations for grammar points.

There’s no offline functionality, and the app is only supported on mobile devices

Languages: There are currently eight languages available on the Fluent Forever app: Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Korean. Six more are currently in development.

Price:

$9.99/month when paid on a monthly basis.
$53.94 for a 6-month subscription ($8.99/month)
$95.88 for a 12-month subscription ($7.99/month)
$167.76 for a 24-month subscription ($6.99/month)

There’s a free 14-day trial available that gives you full access to all of the languages on the app. You’ll be prompted to select one language if you decided to pay for the app after the trial. If you pay for a subscription instead of per-month, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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uTalk Review – Learn Set Phrases But Not A Language

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Quick Review
Summary: uTalk is a software program and mobile app offering learning material in over 140 languages. Its approach is based on learning set keywords and phrases through gameplay. It covers a wide range of set phrases and offers pronunciation practice. It does not offer any in-depth language instruction or grammar.

uTalk is most useful for people who want to learn key phrases in a new language and aren’t interested in a more comprehensive understanding.

Quality
The app is very user-friendly, and the content is mostly useful, but the features are limited.
Thoroughness
The opportunities for focused practice are somewhat lacking.
Value
The price is very low, and there’s a decent amount of content, but there are more time-efficient ways to learn.
I Like…
The number of languages on offer is staggering.

Each phrase is recorded by a male and female native speaker. This was especially helpful in learning pronunciation.

You frequently get to hear recordings of yourself producing the language. I found this motivating and informative.

I Don’t Like…
The Memory Game exercise felt like a waste of time. It’s difficult to get a perfect score even if you know the language well.

I kept wishing there was a way to choose which phrases I could practice in games instead of them being randomly selected.

I’m not a fan of learning a bunch of set phrases. I’d prefer some instruction related to grammar and sentence construction.

Price*:

$2.99/month on a monthly basis and can be canceled at any time
$1.67/month for a year-long subscription
$1.00/month for a two-year subscription

*This is the price for the more popular languages like Spanish, German, Arabic, etc. Less common languages such as Afrikaans and Tibetan cost slightly more.

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Rocket German Review & Why You Can’t Trust Online Reviews

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Quick Review
Summary: Rocket German is a decent enough course but it falls short of the high praise it often receives. The audio lessons aren’t bad, but they aren’t exceptional either. The Rocket Reinforcement activities that are part of every lesson are too repetitive and boring. I’d expect it could be challenging to stick with them for the long-term. Nevertheless, it’s a fairly good course, with a nice structure, and increasing amounts of English used, with lots of clear grammar explanations and opportunities for you to practice what you’ve learned.

Quality
Nicely designed interface with pretty good lessons.
Thoroughness
Lots of exercises but they’re all very similar and repetitive.
Value
Pretty expensive for what you get.
I Like
Lessons use less English and you move up levels.

A nice balance between explaining grammar and pushing you to speak aloud.

Nice design to the website and app.

I Don’t Like
The exercises are too repetitive and rely on rote memorization.

The audio lessons don’t feel very natural and have lots of corny jokes.

The cultural lessons are short and unintersting.

Price:
Level 1 costs $99.95
Levels 1 & 2 cost $249.90
Levels 1,2 & 3 cost $259.90

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Alternatives:
I wrote a post about my favorite courses for learning German. 

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Ouino Review – My Experience Testing Their Spanish Course

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Quick Review
Summary: Ouino is a software program and mobile app with more than 500 lessons and 1,000 exercises in Spanish, French, Italian, and German. It’s curriculum-based with an academic approach (as opposed to relying on gameplay like some other language apps). It covers the basics such as vocab and pronunciation, but can also help you improve your conversation skills and master verb tenses.

Ouino would be great for you if you want to pick a language back up after not using it for a while, if you love structure, or if you want lots of practice. It could also be a good resource for language students who want to keep their skills sharp in between semesters.

Quality
The usability and content quality are great, but the layout and structure of the exercises take a minute to get used to.
Thoroughness
The lessons explain the topics in depth and give several examples.
Value
A lot of solid content and useful exercises are included for a relatively low cost.
I Like
Ouino accommodates both auditory and visual learning styles. Each lesson is read aloud as well as shown on screen. Exercises incorporate sound and pictures. Important words are color coded, read aloud quickly, and then repeated slowly.

You can access all the lessons at any time. You don’t have to work through a topic you already know if you don’t want to.

It’s very affordable, especially if you’re willing to commit to a six-month plan. A subscription gives you access to all courses.

I Don’t Like
The time limit on exercises is too short (5 seconds). I found myself clicking on answers just to beat the timer, not because I knew the material.

The pronunciation section doesn’t grade you. You have to compare your recording with a native speaker and decide for yourself if you’re close enough.

The structure of the exercises is the same for every lesson in the section. It can get repetitive and boring.

Price:

The 3-month plan is a one-time payment of $38.58.
The 6-month plan a one-time payment of $59.94.
The 12-month plan is a one-time payment of $83.88.
The Lifetime plan is a one-time payment of $95.76

Visit Ouino for Spanish, French, German, or Italian

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Living Language Online Course Review – Not Very Good

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Quick Review
Summary: Living Language provides numerous learning materials for multiple languages, including complete and essential courses that come with textbooks and CDs. They also have specialty courses covering business, travel, and several jobs. However, their standard online version isn’t very practical, and it’s difficult to tell if you’re actually learning or simply going through the motions. While the resource might be useful for those who want access to a large vocab list with grammar reading materials, there are better, cheaper options.

Quality
Though the information itself is useful, Living Language’s presentation reads more like a database than an educational/interactive tool.
Thoroughness
Again, a lot of the information is there, but it’s scattered. Additionally, some of that information appears incorrect.
Value
Cheaper options offer the same amount of content with more interactive features.
I Like
You can hop around between levels and topics, including Beginner and Advanced materials.

The subscription comes with a grammar guide, glossary, and forum access.

There’s a decent variety of games, including some games I hadn’t played before.

I Don’t Like
Although the games are fun, they get stale pretty quickly. It’s easy to guess at answers, thereby completing levels without really having learned.

The system doesn’t keep track of your mistakes, so it’s hard to know what areas you need to improve in.

I found several translation and presentation errors that made me question the rest of the material.

Price: An annual plan costs $150, and half a year costs $75. Three months is $50 and 1 month is $39.

Languages: American Sign Language, Arabic, Dothraki, Dutch, English, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, and Vietnamese

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